The Green Mile

Paul recounts being eighteen, and having his uncle pass away. He has fallen in love with Janice, who he will eventually marry. When he goes away to Chicago for a month, to attend his uncle’s funeral, he writes Janice a four-page love letter that expresses his passion for her.

Upon Janice’s death, Paul is surprised to find that the letter is not in her possession. He does not want to presume anything about her sentimental attachment to the letter, but recalls this memory to justify why he is insistent on writing about John Coffey now. He describes Coffey’s particular expressions of grief in his cell, and how his world weariness feels different from other inmates who have come through the prison. Paul cannot seem to forget him.

After Bitterbuck is put to death, The President’s sentence is commuted to life in prison. Twelve years into this life sentence, he is murdered by another inmate, who drowns The President in liquid laundry soap. 

After The President is gone, the guards bring Delacroix to the prison. On his way to the prison, Percy claims that Delacroix had attempted to grope him. Percy beats Delacroix with his baton all the way to his cell. Neither Paul nor Brutal stop him, despite Delacroix’s desperate pleas. Eventually, Paul is able to shove Delacroix into his cell and send Percy to another task. Delacroix is too frazzled by the beating to hear anything that Paul communicates to him about prison routines and guidelines.

Later, Brutal reveals to Paul that the groping was an accident. Since Percy was yanking on Delacroix’s chains so hard, he stumbled onto Percy with his hands, accidentally brushing the guard’s pants. Paul says they have to watch out for Percy, since before he arrived, no inmate had ever been beaten. They wonder why someone like Percy, who has so many political connections, would want to work in Cold Mountain, on the Green Mile.

After Percy continues to harass Delacroix, Paul tells him sternly to leave the inmate alone or else he will write him up. Percy threatens him by saying that he will write his own report, which he is confident will be received over Paul’s, given Percy’s connections. Paul suggests that Percy behave or else Brutal will beat him up, a threat Percy seems to take seriously. Sometime after, Paul hears laughing from Delacroix’s cell. He finds the mouse sitting on Delacroix’s shoulder and the inmate’s delight at finding this new friend. Delacroix names the mouse Mr. Jingles. When Percy arrives, Harry is afraid that Percy will be incensed to find the mouse with an inmate he dislikes. However, Percy arrives to work in a strangely good mood. When Paul asks Percy how he would feel about getting a wooden box for Delacroix’s cell so that the mouse could have a place to sleep in Delacroix’s cell, Percy volunteers to deliver the inmate’s money to Toot-Toot for a cigar box and some cotton bedding.

While neither Paul nor Harry can figure out the change in Percy’s attitude, Paul eventually learns the reason after he leaves Cold Mountain. After Paul leaves Cold Mountain, he meets with Hal Moores who reveals that on the day Percy was in a good mood, the warden had offered him a transfer to Briar Ridge, a better facility, to appease the complaint he had lodged against Paul. Moores had advised Percy to behave, so that he could receive a crucial role in Delacroix’s execution. If Percy performed well at Delacroix’s execution, he would be ensured his transfer. Excited by this prospect, Percy decided to be on his best behavior, and thus, was in a good mood that day.